Two brothers who were left with soaking wet carpets and mouldy damp from a burst pipe have slammed a housing association for “showing no interest”.

Ross and Daniel Patterson have had to live with wet carpets for over a week after a pipe burst in their bathroom flooding their flat.
Byline: Sonya Duncan
Copyright: Archant 2019

Ross, 30, and Daniel Patterson, 32, of McCarney Court, Norwich, have had to live in wet and damp conditions in their flat for a week.

Daniel said there had been an existing leak beneath the bath tub which repairmen, sent by housing association Clarion Housing, had reportedly fixed on February 14.

But on Tuesday, March 5, Daniel received a distressing call from his brother after the pipe burst and flooded their home, with the water spreading out of the bathroom, down the hallway and into one of bedrooms.

Ross and Daniel Patterson, of McCarney Court, Norwich, have criticised Clarion Housing after having to live with soaking wet carpets and damp for a week after a water pipe burst in their bathroom. Picture: Andy Patterson

“My brother phoned me, screaming,” he said. “He said it was going everywhere.

“He has a learning difficulty so he was screaming and crying, he didn’t know what to do.”

A Clarion Housing spokesman said an out-of-hours plumber attended the flat on the night of the leak to replace the flexi pipe and restore hot water.

Ross and Daniel Patterson, of McCarney Court, Norwich, have criticised Clarion Housing after having to live with soaking wet carpets and damp for a week after a water pipe burst in their bathroom. Picture: Andy Patterson

The spokesman added: “We appreciate the inconvenience our residents have experienced because of the leak.

“Our plumbing contractor attended [Monday] morning to complete the repair and a further appointment has been booked for Wednesday [March 13] to clean and dry out the residual moisture from the leak.”

But Daniel disputes this and said the pipe had not been replaced but simply taken out and blocked with a stopper on the night of the leak.

Ross and Daniel Patterson, of McCarney Court, Norwich, have criticised Clarion Housing after having to live with soaking wet carpets and damp for a week after a water pipe burst in their bathroom. Picture: Andy Patterson

“Clarion Housing have been an absolute nightmare,” he said.

Daniel said that while they have waited for the housing association to respond to their pleas for help, the pair tried to soak up as much of the water themselves using towels, a VAX vacuum cleaner borrowed from a friend and even received help from neighbours who swung by with a mop.

But despite their best efforts, the mould has quickly settled in and the smell has spread across the flat.

Ross and Daniel Patterson have had to live with wet carpets for over a week after a pipe burst in their bathroom flooding their flat.
Byline: Sonya Duncan
Copyright: Archant 2019

“We’ve had to keep the windows open and the heating on to dry up the carpets,” Daniel said. “We’ve had the washing machine on twice a day to clean the towels and get the smell of damp out of our clothes. My brother has been sleeping on the sofa every night.

“They could have dealt with this quicker or at least send a dehumidifier, all the carpets will need to be replaced.”